Merchandise display case



Oct. 29, 1957 c. E. BROOKS ET AL MERCHANDISE DISPLAY CASE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 5, 1956 INVENTORS C. 54/94 6/900K5 BY /7/(HAL NQE'D/f/N y ATTORNEY MERCHANDISE DISPLAY CASE Clarence Earl Brooks, Morristown, Pa., and Michael Mordkin, Columbia, N. J.

Application January 5, 1956, Serial No. 557,468

6 Claims. (Cl. 312-122) transparent plastic materials such as styrene are suitable for the purpose.

It is an object of this invention to provide a multiple drawer unit for this purpose which will fully exhibit the merchandise and which will be simple and inexpensive, which will make the merchandise easily and readily accessible and will be sufficiently sealed against dust and dirt for all practicable purposes. Other objects are pleasing appearance and strength and durability of construction. Other objects will be apparent from the detailed description which follows:

One of the advantages of the invention is the fact that it dispenses with separate lids for the individual drawers. In accordance with the invention the drawers mutually guide and seal each other. templated has two relatively narrow uprights which permit the drawers to be exposed substantially at each end, and ribs on the drawers engage in grooves in the uprights to guide the drawers as they are moved in and out. The drawers are so constructed that they fit tightly together when closed and special guiding features of the drawers serve to effect the sealed condition. Each drawer except the uppermost interengages with the drawer above in overlapping relation along the sides, and the ends abut so as to make a tight closure and at the same time allow of the relative movement of the drawers. The top cross member of the frame has a fit with the top drawer so as to form a top guide for the top drawer and make a sealing closure for the top drawer when the drawer is closed. Preferably this guiding fit is effected by a plastic strip on the underside of the cross piece of a length and positioned to cover the drawer when closed and of a width to fit between the side walls and function as a guide.

To provide mutual lateral guiding between the drawers, each drawer has on its underside a pair of longitudinal runners or rails which are spaced so as to fit within the top edges of the side walls of the drawer immediately below. This overlap ofthe top edges of the side walls and the runners provides an effective seal betweencthe drawers along their sides which is their major dimension. The end walls, both front and rear are set down below the side walls by the height of the runners, and the rear and front wall are notched at their two lower corners so as to admit and fit over and ride upon the projecting top edges of the side walls. Thus the drawers mutually support and guide each other and interfit so that they are effectively sealed to the exclusion of dust.

To assure easy movement and avoid scratching of the side walls by the frame uprights the drawers are pref- The frame member as contes Patent erably proportioned and hung so as to clear the uprights. Specifically the drawer side walls may converge dowiiwardly to a slight degree so as to assure such clearance below the side ribs.

Other features of the invention will appear from the following description of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings to which reference is now made.

Fig. 1 is an isometric view of a three drawer device with the middle drawer partially open;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation on the plane of line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevation on the plane of line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an isometric view of one of the drawers;

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the device, partially in section; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional elevation illustrating the downward convergence of the side walls of the drawers and their clearance of the frame uprights.

The three drawers are duplicates and the frame is so devised that the drawers may be interchanged. The drawers are numbered 1, 2 and 3, beginning with the top drawer, and the same reference numerals will be given to the corresponding parts of all three drawers. The

drawers in their entirety are made of a suitable transparent plastic such as styrene and are illustrated as though of an integral molded construction, although in practice the component walls and other elements may be cut from sheet material and cemented together in well-known manner.

The frame 4 is of any suitable material such as wood.-'

It is a four sided open quadrangular structure having two uprights 5 and 6 forming side pieces which are spanned pieces and is flush with the upright side pieces at its rear end but extends forwardly of the front edges of the uprights.

The uprights 5 and 6 are provided with three equally spaced longitudinal guide grooves on their inner faces, those in upright 5 being numbered 9, 10 and 11 and those in upright 6 being numbered 12, 13 and 14. These grooves are open at their front ends and are closed at their rear ends, as shown, particularly in Fig. 3, the rear termini of all of the grooves being in substantially the same vertical plane.

The drawers are generally of conventional shape, having their greatest or longitudinal dimension from front to rear. Each drawer is composed of side walls 15 and 16 which are substantially longer than the front-to-rear dimension of the uprights 5 and 6, and front and rear On the under side of each bottom wall 19 are two.

longitudinal sealing strips 20 and 21, serving also as run ners or rails, which extend the full length of the bottom and are located inward from the outer face of the side walls by substantially the thickness of the side wall.. The front and rear walls are offset downwardly with respect to the side walls by substantially the height of the runners 20 and 21 and the lower corners of each of the front and rear walls are notched as at 22 to provide a rectangular clearance for the upward projection of the respective side walls of the drawer immediately below, the notches extending inwardly to the adjacent runners and upwardly to the plane of the lower face of the bottom wall 19. Thus it will be seen that the bottom edge of the side walls of the upper drawers may rest upon the top edge of the corresponding side walls immediately below and slide thereon, and that the side walls of the lower drawers fit over the runners of the drawer above and bear against the outer faces of the runners.

plane .and of equal, lengthand width. Theribls extend frbm thefiront wall andterminate, somewhat short of therear wall. They are disposed with their upper faces in the plane of the top edges of the respective front and reanendwalls andribs 23 run in groves12,13 and, 14, respectively, and ribs 24 run in grooves 9, and 11, respeetiyely. The .grooves are so located that they support -thedrawers with the side edges of theupper drawers at least approximately, resting andsliding upon the side edges of the drawers immediately below. The bottom: drawer: rests with its runners actually upon or in close proxirhityto the top face of the bottom frame piece 8. Thus the forward projection of that bottom piece provides a support for thedrawers supplementing the support by the ribs 23 and 24.

The width of theribsis such that they bottom in the grlgoves and guide the drawers without any substantial lateral play Thewidth of the drawers is such that they will not; rub against the uprights and be scratched, .preferpbly being entirely free of theuprights, and, as shown inj Fig; fi theside walls are made slightly downwardly co yergent.v by perhaps a degree departurefrom a right anglejat thejuneture of the side wall and bottom,thus

aecentuating' the clearance. Not only does thisprevent marring, the side walls but it contributes to the freerun For appearance sake as well as utility, the front, wall 17, of each drawer extends laterally on each end beyond the 'sidewalls to the' plane of the outer edges of the ribs 23 and 24, Thus the, frontends-of the ribs are prosted-t.

A cowl-like strip 25 across thevtop edge of each front I w llj s p iqvided to be g aspe by the fingers in pullingt n t fi L out.

"Secured underneath the top piece 7 of the frame is a velo sure strip 26 0f plastic and proportioned laterallyto fit within the upper e'dg es' of thelsidewalls of the. top. drawen .andjilongitudinally vto. cover theQdrawer when.

thej draweriisclosed. Its thicltnesstis equal .toflthe down: a Qfise ofj eend ls The jribs 23 and, :24 are proportioned in length to, abut with their' rear ends,against the: closed, ends oftheir slots when the drawers project substantially, equally in front and rear of the uprights 5 and 16. That is the closed conditionj of the-drawers and, in that. condition thebottom drawer hasitstront end, flush, with the front endpf; bottom piece 8 andrthe front walls 17 are, all .in the sarneyertieal plane as are therearwalls 18, In that position the strip 26 serves as a cover for the top drawer,

the top drawer covers the middle drawer and the middle drawer covers thebottom drawer. The overlap of the downward extension of the end walls effects a tight end closurefor the drawers since the end walls both front and rear mee t and abut edge to edge. The overlapof the top edges of the side walls and therunnersof the drawers above effects a tight side, seal of the middle and. lower aw Thus there is provided a simple and sturdy, construc- 6 tion in which thedrawers support and guide and seal a plurality- 0f similar superposed drawers of transparent material supported and-guided in the frame, the inner faces of the side members of the frame having longitudinal guide grooves therein, and each drawer having an open top and having side walls and a bottom wall substantially longer than the longitudinal dimension of theframe end-haying front and rear end walls of sub-. stantially'the height of the side walls and offset downwardly with respect-to the side walls, thereby having their top and bottomfredges below the top and bottom edges oftheside vwalls, two longitudinal runners on the under sidelof the bottom wall, one near each edge and spaced therefrom by substantially the thickness of the sidewall and having a height substantially equal to the said downward offset of the front and rear walls, and a longitudinal rib on the outer face of each side 'wall fitting and ,guidedin one of the grooves, the grooves being;.'so spacedgthat each drawer above the bottom drawenhas its runnersoverlapping the top edges of the side walls-ofthe drawerimmediately below hand the corresponding end walls of adjacent drawers being vin the same, vertical-plane with their adjacent upper and loweredges substantially in abut-ting relation when the drawersrare closed,

2. A merchandise display device as defined in claim 1 in. whiclnthe groovesare closed at their rear ends andtheribs extend from the front ends and terminate short of'the rear ends ofthe drawers and engage the closed ends of the slots as stops in the closed position of -the drawers, the stop endsof the ribs beingsimilarly disposedenthe drawers, whereby the front and rear' walls; are iI1:; ll1e same respective planes when the drawers are;

closed.

3. A merchandise display device as defined in claim; 1 together witha transpar'enticover plate carried by the under; side "of thetop frame member fitting between the two side walls of the .topdrawer and of the length ofedr wert 4.1,A rnerehandise display device as defined in claim 1.'inf which .theend walls ofthe drawers are notched at each ofg'their lower corners to admit the side walls of the drawer 'immediately below as the drawers are opened.

5. A merchandise display deviceas defined in claim l injwhich the frent walls of the-drawers laterally overlap the side, walls by the .width of the ribs.

6; Amerchandise display device as defined inclaim .1 inv which thetopfaceof the ribs, is in the plane ,of the topjedge; of the frbnt. and rear walls of the drawers,

. References Cited in the file'of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Gluckman Nov. 27, 1951 

